Stranger
by Crazy Dame
Summary: Someone new blows into town, though if she's really a threat or a helping hand is still to be determined. Especially with her background. Premovie.
1. Prologue

What had caught his eye was the platinum blonde hair that had flashed past his field of vision only a moment before. And in thinking of that hair he remembered the bright hue of her crystalline blue eyes, but only for a split second as he didn't remember having caught sight of them, but just happened to know what color they were.

"Paul," Dwayne's voice cut through his thoughts easily, which in turn made him lower his right foot with which he had intended to step forward with in his pursuit of the stranger that had suddenly sparked his curiosity.

"Hm?" He turned to find that David was approaching with Marko at his side, anger shadowed the leader's features as the lights from the boardwalk danced across his pale skin. Once they were close enough Paul took that delayed step forward with a smirk on his lips although he furrowed a brow. "What's going on?"

David steepled his leather clad fingers once he slowed to a stop and popped his knuckles audibly before casting a glance at Marko, giving him the chance to explain as he, himself, was too angry to speak and rather turned his back to the other three and stalked off towards the beach.

"We've got a problem," The youngest looking one stated simply, an almost bored look on his angelic face as he looked from one man to the other. "Star and Laddie are gone. Again." With that said he nodded in the direction David had taken off in, knowing that Star was not going to get off easy. David's generosity had grown very thin with her after her many attempted escapes, finding it to be a very impolite.

Paul and Dwayne exchanged silent looks before following after Marko, Paul pushing away the thoughts of the platinum blonde for the moment. When they found David he had Star in the grip of his right hand, Laddie's eyes wide with fright as he cowered behind the young woman being reprimanded in the worst ways.

"I'm getting tired of this little hide and seek game of yours, Star. Say the word and I'll end your suffering in more ways than one." He yanked her around to face the other three as if presenting her to a jury that would voice their opinion on if she was guilty or not guilty. If found guilty the sentence would be death for her and for Laddie, although he didn't have to say a word about the latter. "What'll it be, boys?"

Dwayne broke his glorious, stoic silence and spoke first. His voice almost lost over the crash of the waves against the shore. "Let her stay. She's going to have to accept what she is. What Laddie is." Dark eyes focused on the young boy standing behind David now with his hands over his mouth as if afraid to make any form of protest.

"Let her stay, bro. Because I, for one, am not babysitting that kid." Paul had donned an incredulous look at thinking of the fact that he would have to look after Laddie the way that Star did in case she was voted out. But all the boys looked after the much younger one, Paul was just being an ass.

Marko remained silent, eyes fixed on David as he gave his answer without a word exchanged between them and the decision was made. David released Star with a light shove forward before turning his head to look at Laddie from the corner of his eye. "Today's your lucky day."

They prowled the boardwalk as they most often did, unaware of someone keeping a rather close eye on them from a distance. Watching them closely as a soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips.


	2. Party Starter

That night Paul dreamt of platinum blonde tresses though now streaked with black as the bright blue eyes he recalled from a memory he hadn't even registered materialized before him. He reached out to touch the phantom woman, surprised to find that her hair felt like silk as it slipped through his fingers. But just as she had appeared in his mind's eye- she was gone and he awoke with a sharp intake of breath and found Marko just waking up with a concerned look on his face.

"You cool?"

Paul nodded and let go of the beam he was holding on to to land upright on the cave's floor before running a hand through his hair to smooth it back. Oddly enough he couldn't remember what had made him wake up so abruptly, it was nothing but a haze. "Yeah, man. C'mon." He motioned for Marko to follow him out into the main part of the cave they called home, Dwayne and David already there in a deep discussion over Star.

"As big a pain she is in your ass, you won't let her go." The darker man smirked and shook his head, making his ebony colored hair sway from side to side gently. "You don't have to admit it to me because I know, but scaring her isn't going to make her want to stick around."

David nodded in agreement, although the movement was minute. "She needs to feed and still refuses. At this rate she's going to die on us before I follow through with any threat I may make." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with a leather tipped forefinger and thumb, thinking silently on a way to make this predicament swing in his favor. "Laddie's willing, Star just happens to be the one holding him by the collar."

Dwayne nodded in greeting to the other two that had just wandered in and straightened up from his perch along the edge of the fountain. "We'll see what happens." With that he hopped down and took a seat on the rundown couch off in the corner with a well placed sigh. The springs cried out in protest as the man shifted to get comfortable, his hands in his lap. Dark eyes studied Paul's smirk and the far away look in his eye. "You ok, dude?"

Marko elbowed Paul in the ribs to get his attention before nodding in Dwayne's direction, Paul all of a sudden lost. "Huh?"

"I said, Are. You. Ok. Dude."

Paul laughed and clapped his hands together. "I just need some reefer, bro. I'm running on 'e' right now and that's not good." He pushed Marko's shoulder lightly as he passed by, disappearing into the room he claimed as his own. The room was there for him to decorate as he pleased, which was with graffiti and flyers from concerts he had attended, and to serve as a shrine to himself. The bedposts were covered in tiny little notches, declaring his many conquests to the world... or at least to the three other boys. The sound of drawers slamming and things being pushed around the room carried out into the main room followed by a string of obscenities in not being able to find any of his stash hidden away somewhere.

When he reappeared amongst the other boys he was pulling on his jacket and twirling the keys to his bike around his middle finger. David threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh before his hands were clapped together sharply and he stood, a grin claiming his lips as he spoke. "Let's ride, boys."

---

The Boardwalk was as crowded as ever, showing the boys just how much the population had risen in the past year and a half and with the population boom came new stores and vendors looking to con and sell things on the sly. That also meant fresh meat. The bikes roared to a stop along their usual strip, eyes from the passersby casted away from them in either fear or shyness (that happened to be from the women that found themselves to be staring too hard) but the group paid no mind as they dismounted and went off in their separate ways, David letting Star and Laddie roam on their own. Dwayne disappeared with Marko by his die, David going off to mingle, and Paul went in search of his dealer.

It was through the throng of people that he saw the flash of blonde from the corner of his eye, making him turn quickly and shoulder check the person that was walking past at the time. "Sorry, dude." He put his hands up to let the man know he wasn't looking for trouble right then and cast a slow glance around, brows furrowed. He felt it was becoming a game and wasn't so sure he was tempted to rise to the bait just yet. Weed first and then her.

The dealer stood off in the shadows, making sure to keep himself hidden away from the prying eyes of the rent-a-cops wandering around "enforcing" the law. But the moment he looked up and found Paul standing before him, he grinned and high fived the man. "What's up, bro? Running low?" Of course he knew the answer to his question but the words were said to fill in the void of silence that always came with Paul, which freaked him out a little bit. A sandwich sized bag was pulled out from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it over, Paul returning the gesture by slipping money into his hand.

"Nice doin' business with you." He hid the bag inside his jacket and double checked to make sure he had everything necessary to roll up a few joints later and stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw her. When he really saw her. All other thoughts that had lingered in his mind left him standing stock still in the traffic of human bodies going on around him. Before he knew what he was doing he was sliding up next to her, the tip of his nose brushing against her hair as he took in the faint scent of cinnamon. There was something else there, underlying but he couldn't quite pick up on it... not that he would have wanted to right at that moment.

"Lost?" The sound that emitted past her lips surprised him. The tone of her voice was both even and smooth, mellow. Aged. When she turned her head to look back over her shoulder at him without having to turn around it was then he noticed the stud that adorned the skin just below her bottom lip and the small, diamond stud in her left nostril. Her hair could have rivaled David's if not for the jet black streaks. Night and day.

"Not anymore." Paul moved around her slowly, trailing the tips of his fingers down the exposed peaches and cream skin of her arms as his eyes raked over her. "You new?" She had to be for obvious fact that he would have remembered meeting her before or at least seeing her. He always remembered.

"Mm," The stranger nodded gently as her eyes never left his face. "You keeping touching me and I'm going to have to start charging you for it." It was the way in which she said it that made Paul laugh and back up a step with one hand raised in surrender.

"You got a name?"

"Of course. Do you?"

Paul stood there a moment, transfixed with how quick she was to get back at him. If it had been another woman they wouldn't have needed any more words after his first answer. But no, she was keeping him at a distance although she was inviting him in for more. Temptation was great. "Paul."

"Paul," The manner in which she said it made him imagine she was tasting his name against her tongue, relishing it in a silent ecstacy he couldn't bear to fathom at the moment. She straightened up slowly and brushed past him, lips close to his ear as she whispered her name as if in secret. "Manny." And as he turned around to follow after her she was gone.

"What the fuck?" He had to do a double take, eyes narrowing to slits as he looked every which way before he felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and found Marko standing next to him.

Marko's innocent face was lit up with glee as he brushed his thumb across his bottom lip slowly, giving him the mischeivious look he was known for. "Party going on over by the bluff. Chicks, half decent music, free booze..."

Paul's face lit up as well as he ran his tongue over his teeth before nodding and pulling at his coat to reveal the half ounce he was hiding. "I've got the party starter."


	3. Have a little faith in me, sunshine

Their arrival to the party was announced by the roar of their dirt bikes and the fine spray of sand shot out behind them, but they were barely noticed by the crowd scattered along the sand. Many were caught up in their conversations ranging from music to their own brand of spiritual philosophy. Others were busy getting each other off in secluded areas just out of the fire's light, though their noises weren't completely drowned out by the boom box that was blasting Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love", but many were just too drunk or stoned to welcome the newest party guests. Those that _had_ noticed were none too happy about them being there.

Paul let out a howl as he remained on his bike, going about rolling a few joints now that he had the time. All the while talking Laddie through how to do it right. Marko let his thumb brush over his bottom lip before grinning to a blonde duo that appeared to be more than eager to meet him. Dwayne wandered off towards the alcohol, helping himself to whatever he wanted without a word from those that weren't too keen about him drinking their booze. But standing on the beach just a fraction of an inch out of the waves' reach were Star and David in a silence so thick it was suffocating. All other sounds muted.

When the leader spoke every other sound going on behind them seemed to flow freely into their little realm, violating it. "If you and Laddie don't feed you'll die." Sapphire eyes shone like jewels in the moonlight as he focused his gaze on the ocean, taking a deep breath of air with his dead lungs and tasting the salt.

Star was quiet as she wrapped her arms around herself, her unruly curls blown about by the breeze and she was thankful for that as it hid her face from view. A frown touched her lips as he brought up the same point yet again. It took her a bit of restraint to keep her voice even. "I know that, David."

"Then why fight it?" He turned his gaze to her, an edge to his words. Showing just how tired he had grown of having to ask her this question night after night. "Why be such a pain in my ass and defy me?"

Star looked up sharply, brows furrowed as she pushed her hair away from her face to make sure that she was understood. "Because I can. I choose to do so, as does Laddie." Before she had a chance to turn away David had both her arms in his grip, anger flashing across his features.

"Then why ask me to make you what you are, hm? You had a choice, you made the decision. This is what you wanted." He suddenly released her, shoving her away as he turned his back to her and headed off to join the boys. "You can't live off that bottle forever, Star."

---

By the time the party was over there was no one left alive to tell of the horror that had gone on. Bodies were strewn about, blood splashed across the sand in wide arcs, painting it red with hints of deep brown. Jackson Pollock would have been proud. Dwayne, with his mouth and naked chest stained a rust color as the blood dried, tossed bodies into the bonfire. The smell of burning flesh making him wrinkle his nose as it tried to fill his lungs. Just as he reached down to pluck another body from the ground at his feet he saw a flash of silver from the corner of his eye that made him turn his head.

"Damn, this must have been one hell of a party." The stranger's voice rose high over the sound of the crackling fire and the waves thundering against the shore, making all the boys stop in what they were doing. Star looked up from the sand castle she was building with Laddie, letting the boy continue as she watched, eyes dancing from face to face. Gauging their reactions to the newcomer.

"Please, don't stop on account of my presence." Her tone was teasing, as was the smile that graced her lips. Long, black streaked, blonde hair shimmered as she moved around the fire. Steps well placed and measured.

David stepped forward with his hands clasped behind his back, head bowed as he approached her. The sound of his leather coat slapping at his legs was lost, as was the crunch of sand beneath his heavy steps. When he brought his head up to stare her down he had a nonchalant grace to his movements though deliberate. "You can still join in."

The strange woman gave David a mock surprised look, a hand rising to rest against her chest as if the invitation had floored her. "Oh, no, I couldn't do that. It wasn't my shindig to begin with. I'm not looking to ride coattails, sunshine." And there it was, the first sign of an appointed nickname. She casted a glance over in Paul's direction, quirking a brow at his vacant expression before she dropped him a wink.

Dwayne and Marko exchanged silent looks before looking to Paul, who again, looked lost. David, on the other hand, was tired of her presence already and moved forward with a malicious smirk. His movements were quick but he soon came to find out that she was quicker.

Just as he had reached out to grab her by the throat she had his wrist in her grasp and turned him around sharply to face the group, her free hand came up quickly to let her glass like nails bite into the skin of his throat. The flurry of movement spurred Star to stand and pull Laddie behind her as the boys tensed but made no move for their leader.

The stranger spoke softly, but her voice carried. "Try something like that again I'll make sure to rip your arms from their sockets." The tone of her voice never wavered, her heart never skipped a beat, and the steady pressure of her nails against his jugular made David believe her. As the realization of her being serious dawned on him, she seemed to sense it and released him to let him wander forward and turn to face her once again.

The light of the fire played across her skin, the silver of her piercings winking at the others as she mimicked David's earlier stance and clasped her hands behind her back. "Any questions?"

Laddie peeked around Star before stepping out from behind her, brows furrowed at recognizing the voice and not being able to see who it belonged to. But the moment he saw the owner he ran forward, just slipping past Star's fingers as she cried out his name, though what happened next was a shock to her and to the boys. The youngest ran forward and wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, the force of the endearing gesture sure to knock anyone else's balance off but she remained stock still and looked down at him with a broad smile.

"Hey, little man." She ruffled his hair gently before looking back up, though the broad smile from before was now sly as was the glint in her eye before returning her gaze to the boy. "They taking care of you?"

David shot Star a look that would have burned a hole right through her if able and all she could do was give him shrug in surprised silence at what had happened. The leader snapped his fingers, the sound sharp, to get the other three moving to finish up the task at hand although the boys continued to steal glances as often as they could. Paul stealing the most.

As the boys burst into movement Laddie took his time to answer, big, brown eyes staring up at her as he tugged at her hand to make her kneel down- in which she did without a second thought. "They take very good care of me. They all do."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" The look that came over her was stern, business. Which is exactly what it was.

The young boy shook his head furiously at her question. "No. They really do." He leaned forward and cupped his hands around his mouth as his lips found her ear, whispering. "Especially Dwayne. I ride with him everywhere."

David watched the interaction from a safe distance as he ran the back of his hand across his lips, wiping at the drying blood on his chin when he heard Dwayne come up behind him. "Everything burned?"

"Yeah." His dark brown eyes turned away from David and to Laddie and the stranger caught up in their conversation. "What are you thinking?"

"That Laddie knows a hell of a lot more than he's letting on. Where's Star?" He turned to find her coming up behind him with a blank expression, still unable to wrap her mind about what had just happened. As trivial as it may have seemed to the others.

"Right here." No sooner had the words left her mouth when she felt David's signature grip on her upper arm and she stiffened and pulled herself away from him, knowing that he arm would be sore later. "Don't touch me. I don't know what's going on any more than you do."

The stranger stood a moment later, casting a glance over at Paul and flashing him a dazzling smile that held a thousand dangerous promises before letting herself be led towards the rest of the group by the young boy grasping her hand. "You coming, lover?" Another nickname given.

She stood before the other four who were staring at her in silence, David staring the hardest. "Meet me at the bar tomorrow, we'll talk there." Her free hand came up as she extended her index finger to motion to the four Lost Boys. "You four only."

Laddie looked up at her with a pout and furrowed brow, not wanting to be left out of what ever discussion was going to be started and melodic laughter spilled past the stranger's lips and she ran a hand through his hair before ushering him off to Star. "Don't worry, you're not going to be missing anything fun, little man." As her laughter died her eyes became hard as her gaze flickered back to the leader and his look of mistrust. "Have a little faith in me, sunshine. We'll talk tomorrow."

With that said she backed up a step and dropped Laddie a wink before turning her back to the pack without fear that they were going to attempt anything. It wasn't their style and they knew better. They wanted questions answered. _Curiosity killed the cat._

The group didn't stay long enough to watch the stranger shimmer and disappear from sight but rather hopped on their bikes and raced home, David every now and again casting a look over at Laddie clutching onto Dwayne as they rode. The little kid was slick. Very slick.

_But satisfaction brought him back._


	4. Cat Eyed

"What is she to you?" David asked again, his gaze so intense that the boy was unable to lock eyes with him for more than a few seconds at a time. Oddly enough the man was calm about it all. His patience staying intact. "Well?" 

Since their arrival the poor boy had been bombarded with questions about the stranger on the beach and all he could do was shrug and shake his head, his eyes cast down at the ground as he felt their stares pricking at his skin like needles. "I don't know."

Star reached for the boy and pulled him in to the many folds of her skirt, enveloping him in comfort and security. Warmth. "David, enough."

He ignored Star for the moment and pressed again, "She knows _you_." The words held thinly veiled venom as his eyes flickered from the young man to Paul as his head quirked at an angle, showing a form of sarcastic amusement. "Seems she knows you, too, _lover_."

Paul's eyes widened and he choked on the sticky air he had been pulling into his lungs from the joint in his hand and passed it off to Dwayne, who smirked and took a few hits before passing it Marko's way. The dirty blonde held up his hands as if in surrender once more and shook his head, wild hair bouncing. "Whoa, dude, whoa. I just met her tonight. Right after I got some of this." He made a motion to the joint that was currently passing between Dwayne and Marko and frowned when they didn't pass it back. "Don't mooch it, bro."

"Yo." Dwayne pulled his shoulder away just in time to miss the swat that Paul had aimed and held the roach out for him to take, grinning like a fiend at the fallen look on his friend's face. "You gonna cry?"

Marko covered his mouth to stifle his laughter and bowed his head, his golden curls falling forward over his shoulders but then looked back up when he heard David clear his throat. Although his laughter had subsided, soft giggles escaped him every now and again.

"Enough." Even though the leader was trying to be serious there was the light of amusement reflected in his eyes that he always had around the boys, which put them at ease more often than not. "Tomorrow we'll go and meet her."

"I don't trust her." David turned his head sharply to stare at Star and finally acknowledged her presence as if he had just realized that she was holding Laddie. "Don't go. It doesn't feel right." The look in her eyes conveyed her fear and her own mistrust of the stranger and cast a look around at the other three as she stroked Laddie's hair tenderly, hesitant to continue. "...She didn't feel like a vampire to me."

David's brows rose high along his forehead in surprise. "Why Star, I didn't take you for one to know the meaning of that word." He grew silent at the hurt look he received and looked away, sucking air between his teeth with a soft "tsk".

Dwayne watched as Star fought to keep her emotions in check and listened as her anger made her grind her teeth together. "Fine." In an instant she swept Laddie into her arms and disappeared to their sleeping quarters. The single word, the sound of the air that escaped her skirts, and the jingle of the coins on her bracelets announced her departure.

"She's got a point, you know." Dwayne was up and moving, leaving Marko and Paul to light up another joint as he planned to sit that round out. "I've never seen anyone move as quick as she did. Quicker than you? Us? That isn't right." In one fluid movement he hopped up onto the fountain and crouched down, arms resting against his knees. Long hair hid his eyes as he bowed his head, fingers of his right hand reaching down to the fountain to pick at something from between the cracks absentmindedly.

"Luck." The only word that David let slip past his lips in response to his second in command as he cradled his chin in the palm of a gloved hand, his eyes unfocused and glazed over in thought.

"And what about her knowing Laddie?" Marko posed his question through a cough of hazy smoke that rolled over his lips as he spoke. "You think she might be related to him?" A fingerless gloved hand came up to wave away the smoke with an annoyed look at not being able to see through it clearly although his eyelids were starting to droop.

It was Paul's turn to voice his opinion as he leaned forward to put the roach out by dragging the edges of the paper lightly across the stone floor. "No way. He's never made mention of any of that. Plus, I've never seen any missing persons flyers plastered anywhere since he's been with us." He leaned back and blew gently across his beloved possession. "Plus, there is NO family resemblance there. Trust me, I was looking." Grinning to himself he double checked to make sure the roach was out before he pulled at the lapel of his coat and dropped it into his inside pocket.

Marko and Dwayne broke into thick chuckles as David finally came back to earth and rejoined the conversation. "You get her name?"

Paul leaned back and slumped into his seat with a nod as he looked up from where the fingers of his left hand were idly picking at one of the bracelets decorating his right wrist. Pink tongue slithered across his slips slowly as he remembered the way she had said his name while on the Boardwalk. "Manny."

"Manny." The way in which David repeated her name made Paul quirk a brow in silent question, the tone striking him as familiar but didn't stop to think it through as he stood and rubbed his hands down the front of his pants. The white material there growing a shade darker every time he did.

"I'm ready to crash." He looked over at Marko to find he was barely keeping his eyes open and smacked him once across the shoulder. This time not missing as he had with Dwayne. "Get up or wake up a crispy chicken meal, bud."

The blonde duo disappeared deeper into the cave while belting out "Addicted to Love" at the top of their lungs, only to be silenced by Dwayne and his threats of tearing up their Playboy magazines once he joined them. David remained out in the main room contemplating the meeting of the next night until just before the sun kissed the horizon on it's ascent into the sky. Questions would get answered.

---

As the sun set Paul awoke abruptly the way he had the night before, again not being able to remember what had startled him so much to rock him out of his sleep. "Fuck." He muttered the word as he released the beam he had been holding onto to land deftly with a bend of his knees, unkempt hair hiding his face as he rubbed a hand across his forehead roughly. Another haze clouded his mind as he tried to recall something, anything, and got nothing instead.

"Paul, you ready?" David's voice echoed through the emptiness of their sleeping chamber, making him realize he was the last to wake.

"Yeah, give me a second." He pulled on his boots in silence as he tried to will the fog from his mind and smirked at the thought that crept through the haze before he cracked a grin to himself. "No such thing as too much weed." He ran his fingers through his hair as he appeared in the main room, giving a silent nod to Star and Laddie curled up on the rundown couch.

David pulled at the collar of his leather trench coat to pop it up as he nodded in the direction of the entrance. "Let's go." He watched the boys almost march out into the dark; Marko heading out first with a mock salute and a chuckle, Paul followed close behind with a nod and a smirk, and Dwayne fell in behind them in his divine silence and impassioned stare.

Star watched as the boys disappeared from sight and finally let the concern she had been feeling from the night before finally wash over her features with questions of how the strange woman knew Laddie or what the woman had to possibly explain involving him. But for now, as she waited for them to return, she would speak to young boy curled up against her side.

--

The ride to the bar had been in silence. No howls or yells had been released, no racing or swerving dangerously close to each other in brief, fleeting games of "chicken". They were acting the age they really were for once. For now appearances weren't what they were going on. Once the bar loomed ahead with flashes of yellow neon they turned into the patch of dirt that had been cleared as a parking lot and shut off their bikes.

As David pulled the key from the ignition he addressed the members of his pack in a low voice. "Watch your back. We don't know if she's got friends in there that are just as lucky as she is." He wasn't going to admit that she had been faster than him. His pride wouldn't let him.

They wore serious expressions as they stepped over the threshold of the bar, the heavy smoke hanging in the air infiltrating their lungs and the sharp crack of someone breaking at one the pool tables rung in their ears. But it was there, in a smoked filled corner, that they saw her standing. The fog in the room curled and danced around the edges of her frame but never really seemed to touch her, which attracted attention but surprisingly enough the patrons kept a distance. Out of her reach.

Manny took a step forward once she saw the pack move toward her as one, watching as their eyes moved over her attire. They were pleasantly surprised to find that she had donned a black, pinstriped buisness suit. The material hugged her curves, accentuating the flare of her hip and making the boys realize just how trim she was. Streamlined. Streaked hair was pulled back into a sophisticated bun, showing off the four studs that embellished each ear, and the only hint of make-up she wore was what appeared to be lipgloss.

"Don't feel underdressed, it's just buisness. A formality on my part." A dazzling smile split her lips to reveal slightly elongated canines that they had missed the night before, her hands tucked into the front pockets of her slacks as she leaned back in a relaxed stance.

All the boys could do from reaching out to touch her was just to drink in the mere sight of her appearance in silence and let the smooth tone of her voice drown out the din of drunken ramblings and occasional cracks that came from the other side of the room.

A slender hand was extracted from her pocket as she motioned to the table she had chosen for them to occupy before unbuttoning the front of her coat to reveal a corset (that amazingly kept her chest from spilling forward) in place where a vest should have been in her ensemble. "Drinks are on me." She pulled at the chair she had been residing in moments before they arrived and jumped up to perch along the seat's edge on the balls of her feet, elbows resting lightly against her knees.

The boys watched her movements closely but remained silent as they dispersed to take their seats around the table. David and Dwayne sat across from her respectfully so that they were able to look her in the eye as they spoke, Marko moving around to sit at her left with his back pressed against the wall and Paul to her right at the end of the table. Once the bartender appeared she let the boys order their drinks first, surprised to find they had such a tame taste for alcohol, and ordered seven shots of his best tequila for herself.

Paul watched her curiously, as did Marko and she cast a look between the two of them with a well placed curl of her lip to show she was amused. It was then that Marko noticed that every look that graced her features seemed at home there, nothing seemed as if it didn't belong. She didn't try to be anything, she just _was_ everything. As the thought passed he smiled to himself and settled back against the wall. Secretly pleased.

It was only after the drinks had been delivered that David spoke, nursing the beer in his gloved hand after his initial drink. "So, how do you know our dear Laddie?"

Manny nodded in silence to signal that she would answer his question as her right hand disappeared into her coat. "For a second there I was half expecting you to ask me just how good my luck is." Blue eyes caught the surprise that he hid behind a smirk.

Once her hand reappeared she fished a clove from the pack of Djarum Blacks now in her possession, lifting the black cigarette to her lips as a glimmer of silver and a _CLICK_ sounded as she popped open the top of a silver Zippo that seemed to appear from thin air. The ridges of her thumb struck the flint sharply to spark the wick to life in a burst of tangerine flame as she lit up with a deliciously slow inhalation.

All four boys watched as the light of the flame danced off her blue eyes rather than be absorbed as it normally would have been. It was inhuman. The sharp snap of her wrist closed the lid, dousing the flame and snapping the boys out of their close observation. She was cat-eyed.

Fragrant smoke was exhaled through her nostrils as the Zippo disappeared from view with a slight of hand. "Let's just start off by saying that you don't give him enough credit, sunshine."

At the mention of the nickname he had been dubbed with the night before his jaw tightened and he leveled his eyes on her, holding his tongue in better judgement. Deciding to insult her _after_ he got his answers. "And how is that?"

Her posture was impeccable, yet relaxed, under the intense stares of the vampires that were in such close proximity. Their very presence shaking the room in unseen vibrations that rolled off each of them in waves. It should have surprised her that they were hanging off her every word... But it didn't. They wanted answers and they were going to get them.

It was then she decided to take the first two shots of tequila from the row of seven she had lined up before her, slender fingers wrapping around each glass in succesion as she shot back the amber liquid without as much as a wince. Silent words fell from her lips as she turned the empy vessels over and brushed them aside with the back of her hand. The alcohol trailed fire down her throat before settling in the pit of her stomach, beginning to radiate heat. Spreading across her skin.

Once the process had been done, she continued, ashing the cigarette with a light tap of her forefinger. "I've known him for years. From afar of course, that is, until you came along." Full lips puckered around the filter of the clove as she took another slow drag, letting the smoke dance around her unseen words. "He seeked me out subconsciously."

Dwayne furrowed a brow as he finished his beer and licked at his lips, sliding the empty bottle aside as Manny had the shot glasses. "You mean in his sleep." Although it had sounded like a question, it had been a statement.

She nodded, "That would be it, handsome." Another nickname. Another invisible bond they didn't know about. "But you already knew about that, didn't you?" A well shaped brow quirked in his direction but she continued, watching as David silently made a promise to Dwayne with his eyes that he would ask about it later. "Even when he's awake he's going at it. Kid's got one hell of a messaging system and doesn't even know it."

The darkest of all four narrowed his eyes at her as he stood and then smirked with a shake of his head, nodding to David to let him know he would explain everything he knew once they weren't in her presence. "I'm getting another round of drinks."

Manny watched him go with a soft "aw" and then put all her attention back to man before her with another gentle tap of her forefinger against the cigarette. "Needless to say, little man's an untapped resource. Only problem is he won't fully come into his potential unless he matures mentally as well as physically."

Paul shot David a look of surprise, Marko following suit but remained quiet even though the question he wanted to ask burned at the tip of his tongue. But like the good boy he was he let Paul speak instead. "Hold up, girl. What are you talking about? What potential?"

Cigarette butt pinched between the nail of her middle finger and pad of her thumb was flicked across the room with a soft smile, not bothering to watch as it landed, bobbed, and then sunk into someone's drink. Another two shots were taken, just like the two before it. More unheard words passing her lips as she overturned the glasses and pushed them away. The delay was for Dwayne, making sure that he was seated and paying attention to save herself the pain of repeating this bit of information over again. Once was enough.

--

"Laddie, how is it that you know that girl from last night?" Star's voice was hushed as her head remained bowed, the blue crayon in her right hand stretching across the picture she was coloring.

The young boy looked up from his own picture, jaw slightly slack at seeming to be caught off guard by her question when in reality he had been waiting for her to ask it since they had been left alone. Shoulders rose and fell in a shrug before he dropped the crayon in his hand on top of the paper he had lost interest in long ago. "I've dreamt of her."

Star looked up and brushed her mass of brown curls away from her eyes as the look of not understanding clearly presented itself on her face. "What do you mean?"

With a sigh Laddie pushed himself up to stand, dusting off his small hands before staring down at them in disgust. He hated how little they were. At how little _he_ was. How was he ever going to help or become a part of the pack for good if he couldn't grow up? Of course he knew things that boys that _appeared_ to be his age shouldn't know, but then again he wasn't a ten year old. He was a frustrated teenager with pent up angst and aggression about how his voice was never going to get any lower and how he was going to be a runt for the rest eternity. Not to mention the questions he wanted answered about sex.

Star's hand running through his hair is what pulled him out of his daze and made him realize that he had wrung his hands so hard that they were a deep shade of red. "I've dreamt of some pretty bad things. But there's just one dream that plays over and over again."

"Tell me about it." She let her nails scratch at his scalp gently in a comforting gesture as he continued.

"The skies are dark. So dark. An inky black that tricks the mind into thinking it's night when it's really just the heavy smoke from the fires burning in the city blocking out the light of the sun. The ocean's disgusting and infested, carcasses of whales and sharks pushed up against the shore to rot. Everything that was once green is brown and withered, dead. Dead." He spoke the words with a vacant expression as the scene played out before his eyes.

He felt as Star retracted her hand from his head and once his eyes focused, mind pulling away from the memory of something yet to happen, he found her kneeling before him. "But what does she have to do with it? Is she the one that causes it?" The shake of his head makes the knot in her stomach loosen a fraction of an inch.

"No, she's the one who saves me."

--

"Homeboy, for those that may have missed this, is an untapped source of power. Meaning that many people, human, inhuman, dead or alive, are coming for him and planning to use him to instill fear and cause hell on earth. An apocalypse, for you believers of the Holy word. Not the kind that you hear from some guy with board strapped to his chest spewing Bible verses along Hollywood boulevard. That's just schizophrenic. But this, _this_, is for real."

Manny didn't bother to look at anyone else except David, who looked unsure on how to handle the ton of bricks that had just fallen to land on his shoulders. He licked at his lips before leaning forward on his elbows to stare at her. "But if he can't come into his potential- why should we have to worry about it?" The words spoken tentatively, unsure on why he should be believing her.

"Just because his body is suspended in time, his mind isn't and that's not going to stop people from coming to get him. Stop treating him like the child he appears to be and start teaching him the shit he NEEDS to know. He's fourteen now, gentlemen, in my opinion he's been sheltered for far too long."

David hid a frown behind the mouth of the second bottle of beer he was nursing, "Well, your opinion doesn't matter much so don't worry about it." He took a healthy swig, swallowing the acrid brew roughly as he cast his eyes to the middle of the table in thought.

Manny tapped the glass nails that had had the pleasure of meeting his throat on the table, finding the exact spot David was staring at. "As of now it does. This isn't a negotiation, sunshine. Either step up and take responsibility for what you have or step the fuck down." Her words ground deep into David and she saw it when his eyes snapped up to focus on her face. "I'm not here to tell you how things are supposed to go but if you really want me to I will."

The next two shots of tequila were taken as she paid no more mind to the sapphire eyes that burned dangerously with the anger she had just sparked with her disrespect.

There was a curl of her lips but the smirk that made itself present wasn't that of humor or sarcasm, but of annoyance as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet, holding up one solitary finger. "Listen up because I will only say this once. Lock this away in your memory or wipe your ass with it, I don't care, but I will not be repeating myself." Eyes shifted from face to face to make sure she had their undivided attention. "_'And the world will turn cold and unclean things will boil up from the ground. And great storms will roll, lightning will light fires, animals will fester and their bodies, twisted, will fall. We will not know the thing which will happen, but the sky will tear apart, and the earth below and the forces of hell will pour up out of the ground.'_"

She let that sink into them in silence as she rocked back finally and then turned her head to look over at Marko, "You got something to say?"

The boy look startled for a moment as he held the almost empty bottle of beer to his lips but didn't take the last drink and instead lowered his hand to set it aside. "Yeah. What the hell are you?"

"Ah, the ten million dollar question. About damn time you spoke up, sweetcheeks." The last one. "In dictionary terms I'm classified as an evil supernatural being often described as a malevolent spirit; a devil."

"A demon," Paul spoke up after a long silence stretched between them after her answer, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"A demon." Came her reply with a nod of her head.

"Jesus Christ."

Manny looked back to David with a grin that signaled that his comment had pleased her in some way. "I don't answer to that name here. Plus, he isn't going to be the one saving your ass."

Just then a loud yell and the crack of someone breaking was heard from across the room but it was then that she leaned forward, David leaning back to catch her wrist but was surprised to find that she had caught the wayward cue ball that had been aimed at him. He stared at her with an uninterested look as she pulled her hand from his grip and balanced the white sphere along the tips of her fingers.

"The one that's been sent to save your ass is me." She popped the ball up and let it land on the table with a dull _whump_ before she scooped up her last shot and held it in toast. "And to the seventh day when the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."

* * *

Author's Notes: _"And the world with turn cold..."_ That quote was brought to you by White Wolf Online, Demon: The Fallen. Manny's a figment of my own imagination and I'm going off my own beliefs in what I think a demon would be like. I just really, really liked the quote that can be found if you click the link "Demon Flash".  



	5. Power Corrupts

Three weeks had gone by since Manny had dropped the weight from her world and into David's. The boys had gone about their lives as they always had although now they were always keeping a sharper eye out for things that didn't belong. But for those three weeks they also stayed out of each other's way. The usual playful banter ensued but it wasn't as it once was. Laughter still followed, jeers and jabs, insults and dirty jokes were said but it was tame. They were acting their age.

Max was pleased.

"Any word from the underground? It's been far too quiet lately."

Manny looked up from the corner she had come to reside in while in his presence, not out of fear or discomfort but for the exact opposite. It was within the shadows that she stepped in and out of their plane and into her own. How she crossed over so easily and appeared from place of place without a legit mode of transportation.

"It's the calm before the storm."

Max nodded in silence before his gaze came up from the papers he had currently been signing, bronze fountain pen catching the light of the lamp he was reading the fine print by. "Complete upheaval?"

It was Manny's turn to nod in silence before she pushed herself up off the wall and ventured forward to let herself be seen completely, clad in the same buisness attire from the night she had had her meeting with the Boys. Streaked hair swayed as she sunk into one of the patent leather seats along the opposite side of the majestic desk in silence.

Max pulled off his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose with a light pinch as he kept his gaze trained on her. His soft eyes showing kindness and understanding and an underlying threat if crossed. "Something on your mind, Emmanuelle?"

He was one of the few people that actually used her whole name to address her.

"If 'something' means 'a lot'? Then yes." She reclined into the seat as one leg crossed over the other smoothly, hands in her lap. "Do you believe your boys are ready for this?"

"Don't you?" Max had slipped his glasses back on and was staring at her questioningly as the pen was poised perfectly in his hand and hovering over the stack of papers he had left to go through. Something having to do with the newly purchased video store.

Manny chuckled and canted her head from left to right sharply to release the tension that had settled between her shoulders with a loud pop of her neck. "Yes. But they're going to learn a lot in a short span of time. I'm warning you of the repercussions that will come from this ahead of time."

That had caught the older vampire's attention and once again his hand halted in the smooth movement of his signature, a brow quirked over the black frame of his Buddy Holly styled glasses. "What do you mean?"

"They may be obedient now but they won't always be so."

Max smirked and then chuckled as he leaned back into his seat, letting the pen lay atop the papers as he steepled his fingers and she realized where it was David had picked up the gesture. "The boys, _my_ boys, are nothing but and will always continue to be. They kn-"

"They know better?" Manny quirked her head with a smile that he wasn't sure how to interpret.

"Yes. Yes, exactly."

"It won't always be so, Max. Power corrupts." She leaned forward slowly with only a slight shimmer in her wake at where she had been only a moment before. "Be ready." With that she then stood, Max doing the same in a gentlemanly gesture as he rested his fingers along the edge of his desk.

"Are you saying they'll betray me, Emmanuelle? Is that it?"

She continued to the corner she had appeared in and looked to him one last time as she turned her back to the wall, the shadows creeping over the edges of her frame and pulling her back. "No." Her voice reverberated softly as she disappeared completely. Leaving Max alone to contemplate what the demon had said.


	6. We don't have much of a choice

The storm clouds that had rolled in overnight made their presence known with bright flashes of light and cracks of thunder that were too close for comfort. The sky was an inky black Laddie knew all too well, bottling his fear into the pit of his stomach and making it ache in a dull pulse that fell in sync with the ever-slowing beat of his heart. It hadn't started to rain yet.

_"Laddie."_

His head snapped up instantly from the book he had tried to drown his fears in and cast a look around the room slowly. The Boys were there, strewn about and engrossed in their own things. Seemed no one else had heard it.

_"Laddie."_

Knuckles slowly began to turn white as his grip against the hardcover had begun to leave imprints of his small fingers. Brown eyes trained in on David who was currently jotting a few things down in a worn and tattered journal he had had since God only knows. -God, ha! He had no place in their lives. No say.-

Eyes darted to Paul and his current drumming against his thighs, eyes closed as his head bopped along to the song that was playing on the boom box that was being relayed to his ears by the headphones he had recently "borrowed" from a victim. -Waste not, want not.-

Dwayne was reclined against the fountain with his sketchbook propped up on his knee. Pencil strokes filled the air with light scratches of lead against paper as his face registered no emotion of if he was succeeding at what he was drawing or struggling to make something out of what he had already. No one ever knew what he was drawing nor did he ever share what he filled the pages of the book with. Maybe there were things he dreamed of, memories he so fondly cared for and didn't want to share with the others in thinking that he regretted the night he accepted David's invitation.

Marko was flipping idly through the fifteenth magazine he had claimed in the past four hours. His eyes roamed over the words but he was in it for the pictures as it was known that he was a sucker for bright colors.

Star was nowhere in sight.

_"Laddie. Laddie. Laddie. Laddie. Laddie. Laddie..."_

"WHAT!" He finally screamed out as he hurtled the book clear across the room with a strength he was never aware of. "Leave me alone!" Every Boy looked up immediately, including Paul who had heard the boy's scream over the deafening, wailing sound of guitars.

Marko was the first one up and at his side and was surprised when the boy shrugged off his hand that had come to rest on his shoulder reassuringly. What happened next was nothing but a burst of movement from the three other Boys.

_"LADDIE!"_

"Make it stop!" He clamped his hands over his ears as David moved right in front of him to shield him from what it was he couldn't see, although the last name calling he had heard he narrowed his eyes, unsure of where it had come from. Dwayne followed suit and stood behind the boy with his back to him and Marko and Paul took their places and completed the circle in silence. There was movement and the sound alone made the hairs along the back of Paul's neck stand on end.

"Don't move." When David spoke his voice didn't seem his own. Detached.

At that exact moment Marko's attention had been pulled upwards and what he saw was not something he wanted to have engraved in his mind. They were crawling along the stalactites and perching along their tips. After a moment his mind spit out the word "frog" but they were nothing like them aside from the way they crouched with their arms between their parted legs.

"Show yourself." Again came the voice that was David's but then nothing like it.

In response there were hisses that snaked past cracked and damaged lips and the flutter of wings as the things adorning the ceiling of their home began to drop down around them. Laddie looked up to see what had happened but found Dwayne's hand covering his eyes.

"Don't look."

The creatures hissed again and the Boys realized that they were laughing as they began to circle around them. The creatures, crouching and hunched over, were a good four feet in height (with at least another four added for the papery wings attached to their shoulders) and their skin was a shade of green that one would associate with sickness as puss ran from the boils that covered their skin. They were some ugly motherfuckers.

"We will trade you the girl for-" A spindly finger was extended to motion to Laddie. "-him." As the apparent leader spoke a few more of the creatures dropped from the ceiling with Star in their possession. The look on the girl's face was more than David could bear but he knew the consequences of giving Laddie up as what Manny had told them now held true.

"No." His voice remained steady although his jaw tightened as he watched as one of the creatures holding onto Star let his finger "slip" to let the tip of his nail nick at the skin of her chest that rose and fell in quick breaths of panic.

When their leader spoke again it was in a sing-song voice. "I would reconsider..."

"No."

A few more shallow cuts joined the first and the creature causing them passed his sickly yellow tongue across her skin to lap up the precious liquid he had freed. "We will be sure to enjoy her company."

A familiar hand wrapped around the speaker's throat and the nails that bit into the skin were ones David had already met. The creature stiffened, the nail he had been using to cut across Star's flawless skin was left to rest against her chest as he didn't dare move as the hand tightened in silent threat and he croaked out his leader's name. "Boru."

There was the signature _crack_ of a breaking neck and the dull _thump_ of a body hitting the floor that gained everyone's attention to the recently appeared demon standing before Star in a nonchalant stance that was further enhanced by the way she tucked her hands into the front pockets of her slacks. "Is there a problem?"

Boru was the last of his kind to turn and face the newcomer, a sneer slashing his lips in an unflattering look that didn't help his already hideous features. Wings expanded to their full length in a threatening manner as the demon approached, the creatures in her wake hissing as she passed with Star at her heels- for whom David reached for once she was close enough and pulled her into the circle.

"You have no say over this."

"I would say I was sorry to disappoint you but then I'd be lying." Manny arched a brow at him in silent question at his apparent scorn for her intrusion. One hand was released from her pocket and the action in itself was so much that they Boys watched as the creatures surrounding them flinched as she motioned around her, she on the other hand seemed not to notice. "Gather up your boys and go."

There was a hiss of laughter as Boru let his wings retract and rest against his diseased back before shaking the same spindly finger he had motioned with earlier at Manny. "Oh, oh, oh! I know that look! I know that look, demoness. Oh..." The creatures around her began to hiss with excitement as the leader's words had sparked a knowing thought lingering in their minds.

As the creatures began to crowd around Manny David began to take a step back, the rest of the pack followed his lead although they didn't turn their backs to what it was going on before them. Star quickly kneeled next to Laddie, who still had his hands over his ears and his eyes squinted shut even though Dwayne had pulled his hand away long before.

"Laddie, are you ok? Look at me."

Star's voice had broken through the mental block he had put up to keep out the hissing of the things he didn't want to look at or see every time he closed his eyes there after. He had heeded Dwayne's words and kept his eyes shut. "I don't want to look. Don't make me look."

"Oh, the demoness has grown attached!" Boru clapped his clammy hands together in elation before pointing at her again as the hissing escalated into a frenzy the Boys couldn't help but wince at. The sound was almost as bad as nails against a chalkboard. "Oh, oh, o-"

With a tired look Manny reached out to take the creature by it's neck, the viscous fluid from the boils pouring over her hand as she pulled him close to her to ensure that he understood her well and when she spoke her voice was dark and every word was lined with razors and promises of dismemberment, "Tell Verrine that patience is a virtue." Fingers tightened as she jerked him closer still. "And if I ever- **EVER** -find you here or hear of your presence within miles of this boy I will do things much worse than your master has promised."

Boru struggled against her grip and the rest of the creatures stood stock still and at the ready to jump at her at their leader's command but there was no flicker of an eyelash or a croaked command. Upon being released the creature skittered away from her as quickly as possible as the others followed suit and disappeared from sight.

"Everybody good?" She turned to find the group was staring right back at her in silence and she nodded with a smile. "I'll take that as a yes."

The next hour had been spent with Manny explaining the way of things. Explaining that more creatures would be coming and ones uglier than the ones they had had the pleasure of meeting, that with the abnormal was going to come the "normal" and they were going to have to get used to distinguishing the characteristics of those with hidden agendas. It was only after having another hour long conversation, that consisted more along yelling on Star's behalf than her own, that Manny had to rein the thoughts of dismembering the girl slowly in front of her pack before David pulled the girl from the demon's sight.

Star had begun to pace back and forth, her arms wrapped around herself as the strong gusts of wind coming up from the sea whipped her hair into her face everytime she made her way back to David. "I don't trust her, David. I don't trust a single thing she says."

He took a deep, unneeded breath and closed his eyes as he let said breath out roughly to show this was not improving his already bad mood. "We don't have much of a choice."

"Like hell we don't!" Every added step in her pacing led her further and further away from David. "Send her away. We've never needed anyone before, why do we need someone now? And her of all people? This doesn't feel right."

A gloved hand came up to rub at his pale forehead, the leather standing out in stark comparison against his skin as his fingers kneaded at the spot between his brows. "If anyone can send her away it's Laddie. He's the one that called her." As his hand fell away he looked up catch her eyes, reading everything she was feeling in that instant.

Star had stopped her pacing a few feet away and motioned to the opening of their home with an outstretched hand. "How can all of you just automatically trust her? She's a demon, David, how do you know she's not playing us?"

"That's the thing, Star, I don't. I don't know half of what it is going on yet. I just know that some ugly ass _things_ had their hands all over you and I didn't know how to take them." He let his guard down for that moment. "Humans I can handle. I was human at one point in time, it's easy. But demons? Ugly frog looking things? No. If anything we stick with her and learn what we have to."

She let her hand drop back to her side with defeated huff of breath as she turned her head away from the approaching blonde. "And if she betrays us in the meantime?"

Gloved fingers ran over smooth skin he wished he could allow himself to touch and bask in as he stepped in close and drew her into the artificial warmth of his coat. Cool lips pressed a kiss against her forehead before he answered in a soft voice. "If what that creature, Boru, said is true she won't. If she's grown attached- in whatever way that means- she won't."

Star let herself be held and nodded in silence as she rested her head against David's shoulder, keeping the rest of her fears to herself.

--  
"Are you here to look after me?"

Manny's attention was on no one else but Laddie as the rest of the pack and Star were nothing but fleeting memories at the moment, hanging back and watching the interaction. To her it was as if they weren't even there- it was just her and Laddie.

She was kneeled down before him as he sat on the couch with his head bowed to hide the fact that fear was still coursing through them after the encounter. And to think that it was only the beginning.

"You tell me, little man." Her tone was light and joking, making the boy look up with a small smile as his hair hid his eyes. Carefully she pushed his hair from his eyes and heard as Star gasped at her nails coming so close to the young boy's skin. "Look at me and listen closely."

Laddie looked up as he kept his hands in his lap, silent and waiting. Eager.

"You are not a child. You know this, you _feel_ it. Even if you really were a kid it wouldn't stop what is happening now. People and demons alike are coming for you and I need for you to stop hiding behind the Boys." She felt David take a step forward and she held up a hand to stop whatever it was he was going to do or say. "The only way you're going to get through it is to face it. You can't hide from this."

David had been stopped but not Star, who was about to brush past him until she felt an unfamiliar grip wrap around her upper arm. Dwayne.

"What are you doing!" The whisper was harsh on her lips as she spat it out.

He pulled her close although his whisper would have reached her ears regardless of their distance. "Stop." The single word made the woman cease her struggling in his unrelenting grip. "She's doing what she should have done from the beginning." His eyes flitted away from Star and to the back of Manny's head as Star's gaze did the same. "She's letting him grow up."

Outside, it had begun to pour.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is meant to go by fast. So if it comes off rushed, it's because I wanted it that way. And trust me, there was nothing rushed about writing this part- It took me forever to get down.  



End file.
